Austin (rear)
This brings me to my proud introduction to a kid whom I think has both
qualities Character and Talent.
Austin Moore is someone with determination, talent, maturity and tenacity and so much of it I wish I could bottle it and sell it. Austin is going to be a senior at Malvern Prep Boys in Chester County. I have watched him over the past couple of years grow and mature into a fantastic athlete. He comes from a fine pedigree. With Mum being a former division 1 athlete in Gymnastics and Dad being a former division 1 athlete in Rowing, he has the genetics. I have witnessed many times of how supportive they are at regattas and driving him to practice. His whole family including his brother Brandon are always 100 percent behind him. Keep up the great work Austin we are very proud of you.
Austin, how long have you been rowing for?
I have been rowing since the winter of my freshmen year. A few injuries in football and basketball early on in the seasons led me to rowing in the spring, a sport that I knew a little about because of my father who also rowed. I was skeptical at first, but now three years later I am seeing how great of a decision it was to stick with it.
What do you like about rowing?
What I like most about rowing is how unique of a sport it is. There is truly no other sport quite like it, it is mostly a sport of mental strength more than physical strength. When everyone begins in rowing they are all on the same even playing field, no one has had previous experience. It is amazing how each program develops their oarsmen differently.
Has the flexibility training with PF4YOU helped you achieve better results and made you stronger?
The flexibility training has been very beneficial for me as an athlete. In rowing, the person who goes the fastest is not always the strongest person, but quite the opposite. The person who is able to be the most efficient within the rowing technique often finishes the race. Flexibility is a key component to the technique which allows the rower to maximize his power and efficiency.
Best achievement to date?
I was fortunate enough to have a successful spring season and saw a lot of my hard work pay off. The highlight of my season was winning the Philadelphia City Championships in the Varsity Double for Malvern and winning the Stotesbury Cup Regatta, also in Philadelphia, in the Junior Quad. The Stotesbury Cup Regatta is the largest high school rowing regatta in the world with thousands of competitors.
Short term and long term goal?
My goals for the coming season are to make the best boat available for Malvern. In addition my goal is to win the Youth National Championship at the end of the year, this is a very competitive and prestigious event if you win it. In the longterm, I have goals of rowing in College and being successful with collegiate races as well. I would like to see where rowing takes me from there, maybe I can compete after college as well.
New Zealand Olympic Triathlon Champion, Hamish Carter came from a solid background of rowing at Auckland Boys Grammar. Rowing is rated on the list to being one of the toughest sports
I definitely agree that rowing is a gateway to other sports. Because of the degree of difficulty of rowing (both physically and the complexity of the technique) and how many different muscles it encompasses in the body (legs, back, lats, core), it provides a good foundation for various different sports such as cross country or cycling. Whether I will ever get to Olympic level in any of these sports would be a dream of mine and would take years more of training and hard work.
Who are your number one fans (apart from Chuck and I )Besides You and Chuck, My parents are definitely my number one fans. Its not only me that gives up a ton of my free time for this sport, but my parents as well. They are at all my races all day in sometimes grueling whether conditions to support me. I can’t imagine its much fun, they only get to see me race for about 6 minutes before its over, and theres a lot of down time. The fact that they are there for me though makes me have so much respect for them and love them even more. One plus of going to the race is there is always ample food in the parents tent.
What is a typical practice session during the off season and in season?No matter when I am practicing, whether it be the off season or during the season, practice sessions are what I make of it. I have to be the one to put forth 110 percent every practice or else my training is for nothing. My Coach can have me do all sorts of crazy workouts, but If I’m not fully on board and trying to get better, I won’t get anything out of it. Our season is broken down into four parts. In the fall we are on the river in small boats (either singles or doubles) practicing very long races (like marathon running). We have a few big races in the fall like Head of the Charles in Boston before we move forward into running season. Running season is a short cross training season late in the fall after we are not allowed to go on the water anymore, and before winter has truly began. It usually is to get us ready for our hardest training of the season in the winter called “Erg Season”. Cleverly named for the workouts we do everyday in our schools Rowing Tanks on the Concept 2 Rowing Ergometers. This is easily the hardest and most disliked time of the year. Early in late in february, we are back on the water and getting ready for the spring season which lasts until mid-June. In the spring the races are very short sprints unlike in the fall. From the first day of school all the way through our last day of the season, our team does weight training in our school’s weight room three times a week at 6:30 AM. This is how we get faster and improve our pulling capacity. In the summer, our program offers a camp for our rowers and for new rowers. Our rowers usually do this program until late July and compete in a number of Summer races. After that, kids on the team usually practice on their own and train for September when it all starts up again.
Anything else you would like to add
Chuck and Bianca are great dedicated trainers who have worked with me in many different things. I am so thankful for having them supporting me and helping me reach my goals, I would not be where I am without them.
